Scottish Executive

Ambulance Service

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-26241 by Malcolm Chisholm on 6 June 2002, what the average percentage of patients in Angus requiring ambulance transfer within one or two hours who were not transported within this timeframe was in (a) 1996-97, (b) 1997-98, (c) 1998-99, (d) 1999-2000 and (e) 2000-01.

Malcolm Chisholm: The average percentage of patients in Angus requiring ambulance transfer within one or two hours, who were transported within this timeframe in 2000-01, was 83.4% for those within one hour and 91.3% for those within two hours.

  In the years prior to 2000-01, the information was gathered on an overall basis and a breakdown of the percentage of patients transferred within one or two hours is not available. The table therefore shows the average percentage of patients in Angus requiring ambulance transfer, who were transported to hospital within 15 minutes of the time agreed between ambulance control room staff and the GPs requesting the transfer.

  

 

No. of Calls 
  

Average Transferred Within Agreed Timescale 
  



1996-97 
  

4,549 
  

89.3% 
  



1997-98 
  

4,594 
  

90.9% 
  



1998-99 
  

4,814 
  

92.2% 
  



1999-2000 
  

4,601 
  

85.4%

Ambulance Service

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many ambulances operated in Angus and where they were stationed in each year since 1996-97.

Malcolm Chisholm: The table shows the number of ambulances – both accident and emergency and patient transport vehicles – operating in the Angus area since 1996-97 and where they were stationed (there were no changes to the figures in 1999-2000 or 2000-01).

  





1996
A&E 
  

1997
PTV 
  

1997
A&E 
  

1998
PTV 
  

2001
A&E 
  

2002
PTV 
  



Arbroath 
  

3 
  

2 
  

2 
  

2 
  

2 
  

2 
  



Brechin 
  

2 
  

2 
  

2 
  

3 
  

3 
  

3 
  



Forfar 
  

2 
  

2 
  

2 
  

2 
  

2 
  

3 
  



Montrose 
  

2 
  

1 
  

2 
  

1 
  

2 
  

1 
  



Total in Angus 
  

9 
  

7 
  

8 
  

8 
  

9 
  

9

Courts

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many district courts have legal libraries within the court complex.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information requested is not held centrally.

Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made an assessment of any need for harmonisation of compensation payments to victims of crime across Europe and what plans it has to initiate or participate in any exercise designed to achieve that objective.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme is a UK-wide tariff based scheme. In January, the Westminster Government (in consultation with the Executive, the Northern Ireland Office and the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority) responded to a consultation paper issued by the European Union about compensation for victims of violent crime. The main aim of this EU initiative is to improve access to state compensation by victims within the European Union by agreeing common minimum standards. The UK scheme is the most generous of its kind in Europe and we will play an active role in future discussion of these issues.

Deaf and Hard of Hearing People

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many trained interpreters for deaf and hard of hearing people there currently are.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: There are 40 fully trained interpreters in Scotland and a further 13 trainees who are associate members of the Scottish Association of Sign Language Interpreters.

Deaf and Hard of Hearing People

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what institutions offer training in sign language and interpreting for deaf and hard of hearing people; how many training places are currently available, and what the total cost is of training an interpreter.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: Heriot Watt University offers training in interpretation between British Sign Language (BSL) and English. Eight places are available annually at a cost of £1,600 per place.

  Further education colleges also offer a number of BSL courses at levels 1 and 2. Information on the number of places available and cost of training is not held centrally.

Deaf and Hard of Hearing People

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what initiatives are in place to encourage sign language training and interpreting.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: Good practice guidelines for public authorities were published by the Scottish Translation Interpreting and Communication Forum in March 2002. The guidelines consider BSL as well as other community language issues. The Scottish Executive is funding a development worker, managed by the forum, to take this work forward. The worker is based in the Scottish Association of Sign Language Interpreters.

  The Scottish Executive are also encouraging sign language training and interpreting through funding of voluntary organisations under section 9 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968.

Deaf and Hard of Hearing People

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what initiatives are (a) planned and (b) in place regarding advocacy for deaf and hard of hearing people.

Malcolm Chisholm: Our National Health : A plan for action, a plan for change  requires NHS boards, working with their planning partners, to prepare and implement plans for ensuring independent advocacy is available to all who need it, from 1 January this year. This generic requirement would cover advocacy for deaf and hard of hearing people where these are required locally.

  The Partners in Change support team has also been asked to work with deaf and hard of hearing people to establish how we can overcome any barriers to their accessing mainstream NHS services.

Dentistry

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether an out of hours emergency service for dentistry exists in all NHS board areas.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: There are currently out of hours emergency dental service arrangements in every NHS board area except Argyll and Clyde and Lanarkshire.

Dyslexia

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it issues on the prescribing of drugs to treat sufferers of dyslexia.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Medicines Control Agency, the UK medicines regulatory authority, has confirmed that there are no medicines licensed in the UK for the treatment of dyslexia.

Dyslexia

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it issues on the treatment of sufferers of dyslexia.

Cathy Jamieson: The Scottish Executive has issued guidance on educational provision and support for pupils with special educational needs, including dyslexia. The guidance, Circular ED 4/96 Children and Young Persons with Special Educational Needs - Assessment and Recording and the Manual of Good Practice in Special Educational Needs , has been disseminated widely, including to all local authorities and schools. Both documents are available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. numbers 4386 and 3984). In addition, a number of local authorities issue guidance specifically on dyslexia.

  Guidance has also been issued by the Executive in relation to students at further education colleges with disabilities or learning difficulties. Circular FE 13/95 is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 22033).

European Convention on Human Rights

Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what legal advice it has sought as to whether section 20(6) of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1988 contravenes Article 8 or any other Article of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) as implemented by the Human Rights Act 1998 and, if it has not sought any such advice, whether it will now do so.

Ms Margaret Curran: Following devolution, the Scottish Executive undertook a review of existing housing legislation from the ECHR perspective. We concluded that the current legislation is compatible with the Convention without further amendment. However, we keep under review the need to amend existing law and procedures (whether in the housing field or elsewhere) to comply with the Convention. We shall continue to do so, particularly in the context of new cases.

European Convention on Human Rights

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what training has been offered to district court officers on legal issues arising from the incorporation of the European Convention on Human Rights into Scots law.

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what training has been offered to justices of the peace on legal issues arising from the integration of the European Convention on Human Rights into Scots law.

Mr Jim Wallace: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1O-5354 on 20 June 2002.

European Convention on Human Rights

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many magistrates have received training in European Convention on Human Rights issues since January 2000.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information requested is not held centrally.

Fuel Poverty

Mrs Lyndsay McIntosh (Central Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what its definition is of fuel poverty.

Hugh Henry: In March 2002 we published a consultation paper seeking views on how the Executive might best meet the duty placed on it by the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, that persons do not live in fuel poverty. The consultation paper asked for views on the definition of fuel poverty. Comments were required by 31 May and they will be considered carefully before a statement is published. Copies of the consultation paper , The Scottish Fuel Poverty Statement, Consultative Draft , are in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Genetically Modified Crops

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what legal remedies are available to organic farmers whose crop cannot be sold as organic due to contamination by a genetically modified organism.

Ross Finnie: There are no statutory provisions allowing claims for compensation for contamination specifically by a genetically modified organism (GMO). Therefore, organic farmers would have the same remedies available to them under general law if a crop were contaminated by a genetically modified organism as they would if the crop were contaminated by any other substance which prevented the crop being sold as organic.

  If the presence of GM material arose through a breach in the terms of a consent to release GMOs, there are powers under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 for the consent holder to be prosecuted.

Health

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive under which subject headings or names pathology information or information on death is stored in each hospital.

Malcolm Chisholm: All trusts have in place rigorous systems for identifying retained organs, reports, associated tissue blocks and slides. Record-keeping is the subject of one of the hospital post-mortem examination standards being developed by the Clinical Standards Board for Scotland. These measures are intended to ensure that requests for information about a post-mortem examination are handled as quickly and accurately as possible.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether access to homeopathy referral through the NHS is available to all.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: The Executive recognises the value of homeopathic treatment. A number of GPs hold qualifications in homeopathy and there are several NHS clinics as well as the Glasgow Homeopathic Hospital. Referral for homeopathic treatment in any given case is, however, a matter for clinical judgement, in consultation with the patient.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many unfilled vacancies there are for dermatologists.

Malcolm Chisholm: The following table shows the latest available data on the number of vacancies in dermatology.

  It should also be noted that the number of posts for Specialist Registrars training for a Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training (CCST) in dermatology was increased from 14 to 17 in 2001.

  Dermatology Vacancies Headcount at 30 September

  





As at 30
Consultant 
  

September 2000
Staff Grade 
  

As at 30
Consultant 
  

September 2001
Staff Grade 
  



Total Vacancies 
  

3 
  

1 
  

1 
  

- 
  



Of which the posts were vacant for: 
  



Less than 6 months 
  

1 
  

- 
  

1 
  

- 
  



6 months or more 
  

2 
  

1 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Vacancies as a % of establishment 
  

5.9% 
  

11.1% 
  

n/a 
  

n/a 
  



Of which the posts were vacant for: 
  



Less than 6 months 
  

2.0% 
  

- 
  

n/a 
  

n/a 
  



6 months or more 
  

3.9% 
  

11.1% 
  

n/a 
  

n/a 
  



  Note:

  1. These data are released under National Statistics.

  2. Data are from ISD(M)4, an annual collection by ISD of consultant and staff grade medical and dental vacancies.

  3. Vacancies are those posts vacant at 30 September irrespective of when the vacancy arose.

  4. Establishment is defined as staff in post + total vacancies. Vacancy rates are calculated by dividing the number of vacancies by the establishment and multiplying by 100.

  5. Establishment data necessary for the computation of vacancy rates for 2001 will be available from 17 July 2002.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current average waiting times are for appointments with dermatologists in each NHS trust.

Malcolm Chisholm: The median waiting times for a first out-patient appointment with a Consultant in Dermatology, following referral by a General Medical Practitioner, by NHS trust of treatment, in the year ending 31 December 2001, are given in the table.

  NHSScotland: Median Waiting Times for a First Out-patient Appointment with a Consultant in Dermatology, Following Referral by a General Medical Practitioner, by NHS Trust of Treatment. Year Ended 31 December 2001P

  


NHS Trust 
  

Median Wait 
  



Argyll and Clyde Acute Hospitals 
  

70 days 
  



Ayrshire and Arran Acute Hospitals 
  

103 days 
  



Borders Acute Hospital 
  

74 days 
  



Dumfries and Galloway Acute and Maternity Hospitals 
  

44 days 
  



Fife Acute Hospitals 
  

67 days 
  



Fife Primary Care 
  

70 days 
  



Forth Valley Acute Hospitals 
  

119 days 
  



Grampian Primary Care 
  

38 days 
  



Grampian University Hospitals 
  

132 days 
  



Highland Acute Hospitals 
  

34 days 
  



Lanarkshire Acute Hospitals 
  

73 days 
  



Lothian Primary Care 
  

57 days 
  



Lothian University Hospitals 
  

65 days 
  



North Glasgow University Hospitals 
  

53 days 
  



Orkney Health Board 
  

31days 
  



South Glasgow University Hospitals 
  

59 days 
  



Shetland Hospitals and Community Care Services Unit 
  

50 days 
  



Tayside Primary Care 
  

40 days 
  



Tayside University Hospitals 
  

30 days 
  



West Lothian Health care 
  

110 days 
  



Western Isles Health Unit 
  

23 days 
  



Yorkhill 
  

103 days 
  



Scotland 
  

62 days 
  



  Source: ISD Scotland, SMR00.

  PProvisional.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken in respect of the recommendations contained in the Scottish Needs Assessment Programme report , Huntingdon's Disease, Acquired Brain Injury and Early Onset Dementia .

Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not held centrally. Scottish Needs Assessment Programmes provide NHS boards with good practice recommendations for the planning of services, but are not mandatory.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to gauge the clinical efficiency of drugs which have been in use for many years.

Malcolm Chisholm: Review of medicines available on the UK market is an on-going process. Medicines are granted a marketing authorisation (previously product license) if they meet the Medicines Control Agency’s (MCA) standards of safety, quality and efficacy. Marketing authorisations are usually granted for periods of up to five years and have to be renewed at the end of that time. On renewal each marketing authorisation must reflect current knowledge about the product.

  Information about the work of the MCA can be found on their website:

  www.mca.gov.uk.

  Additionally, in Scotland, the Health Technology Board for Scotland will consider any proposal to assess the clinical and cost effectiveness of specific medicines that have been in use for many years.

Health Technology Board for Scotland

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Health Technology Board for Scotland will comment on the recommendations to the NHS in England and Wales from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence regarding atypical antipsychotics and whether or not these should be considered as well as the existing traditional medicines as a first choice option to treat people with newly diagnosed schizophrenia.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Health Technology Board for Scotland (HTBS) will Comment on any implications for NHSScotland arising from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) Guidance by late July 2002. Until the HTBS Comment is issued, clinicians should use all the available evidence, including the NICE Guidance, to guide their decisions about the use of treatments.

Health Technology Board for Scotland

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21338 by Malcolm Chisholm on 11 March 2002, what measures it will take in following up any non-adherence by NHS boards to advice issued by the Health Technology Board for Scotland.

Malcolm Chisholm: NHSBoards should ensure that drugs or treatments recommended by the Health Technology Board for Scotland (HTBS) are made available to meet clinical need. Any non-adherence to this advice would be dealt with through normal performance management arrangements.

  In addition, the advice of the clinical effectiveness organisations, like the HTBS and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network are, wherever appropriate, included within the standards developed by the Clinical Standards Board for Scotland (CSBS). Reports of visits carried out by the CSBS to assess compliance with its standards are published and inform the Performance Assessment Framework and the national accountability review process.

Junior Doctors

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether all NHS trusts are complying with the new deal on junior doctors’ hours and what action is being taken to address any non-compliance with the deal.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: The New Contract for Doctors in Training introduced a contractual requirement for all Pre-Registration House Officer (PRHO) posts to comply with the New Deal by 1 August 2001 and for Senior House Officer (SHO) and Specialist Register (SpR) posts by 1 August 2003.

  The Scottish Executive Health Department monitors compliance on a six monthly basis. Latest figures for compliance (February 2002) are as follows:

  

 

PRHOs 
  

SHOs 
  

SpRs 
  



Compliance: 
  

92% 
  

41% 
  

46% 
  



  The New Deal Implementation Support Group, set up by ministers in 1999 to help trusts to achieve compliance, is continuing to work closely with trusts to help them overcome obstacles to full compliance by identifying and promoting best practice and assisting in work pattern redesign.

  The Chief Executive of NHSScotland wrote to NHS trusts in November 2001 to inform them that, where PRHO posts are found to drift from compliance on an on-going basis, postgraduate Deans would be required to take action to ensure offending posts were permanently withdrawn from the process used to allocate medical students to their hospital placements.

  Trusts are not yet required to achieve compliance for SHOs and SpRs.

Local Government Finance

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will agree to the request by the leaders of Glasgow City Council, Argyll and Bute Council, Dundee City Council, Inverclyde Council, Midlothian Council and West Dunbartonshire Council for a meeting to discuss restoring any money that the councils lost following the reorganisation of local government in 1996.

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the findings of Professor Arthur Midwinter in his report Grant Distribution and the Mismatch Effect: An Assessment of its Impact on Councils since Reorganisation that there is "clear evidence of the erosion of grant income" to the six local authorities covered by the report, that government grants to these authorities between 1996-97 and 2001-02 fell in real terms by 4.8% compared with an average fall of 1.2% across al authorities and that, in the same period, council tax charges in these authority areas rose by 20% in real terms compared with an average rise of 16%.

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the conclusions of Professor Arthur Midwinter in his report Grant Distribution and the Mismatch Effect: An Assessment of its Impact on Councils Since Reorganisation that there is a "pressing need" to address difficulties faced by the local authorities covered by the report owing to an historical mismatch of funding and, in particular, that it should make available supplementary grants of (a) £32 million to Glasgow City Council, (b) £5 million to Dundee City Council, (c) £3.4 million each to Midlothian Council and Argyll and Bute Council and (d) £2.5 million each to West Dunbartonshire Council and Inverclyde Council, such funding arising from a more equitable distribution of grant increases in the future.

Mr Andy Kerr: Peter Peacock and I have already met a number of the councils involved. I am currently evaluating Professor Midwinter’s report. I will meet with COSLA next month to talk about the spending review and the distribution of resources for all local authorities and the report will be considered in that context. Any other meetings will be considered after my discussions with COSLA.

Planning

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take following the reversal by the Inquiry Reporters Unit of a planning authority decision on car access to the high street in Aberdour, given road safety advice to the contrary from Fife Council’s transportation services and planning departments, Aberdour Community Council and the MSP for the local area.

Hugh Henry: None. This case relates to a planning application for a private dwellinghouse which was granted permission in March 1999 and for which Fife Council subsequently submitted a Modification Order to have the vehicular access discontinued due to concerns about road safety. As the owner of the property objected to the order, the case was heard at a public local inquiry by a reporter of the Scottish Executive Inquiry Reporters Unit.

  The reporter concluded that there were no clear-cut and compelling road safety grounds for confirming the Modification Order and that the householder should have the right to maintain vehicular access onto Aberdour High Street. The Scottish ministers accepted the reporter’s recommendation and therefore refused to confirm the Modification Order seeking the discontinuance of vehicular access. None of the parties involved chose to exercise their right of appeal to the Court of Session to have the decision quashed and therefore the matter is now closed.

Regeneration

Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what obligation there is on the Inverclyde Regeneration Partnership to provide it with performance monitoring data; if such data is being received by it timeously, when the last data was received and, if it has not received any such data, what action it has taken, or plans to take, to acquire the data and to oversee the work and performance of the partnership.

Hugh Henry: As with all social inclusion partnerships (SIPs), appraisal of the work and performance of Inverclyde SIP is carried out as per the SIP Monitoring Framework issued by the Scottish Executive in 1999.

  All SIPs are required as part of their terms and conditions of grant to submit an annual report to Communities Scotland by 30 June each year. In these reports SIPs provide the Executive with:

  information on their activities in the previous year

  a forward look to their plans for the future

  financial information in relation to how they have used their grant allocation

  monitoring information in relation to thirty-nine compulsory core indicators (where available locally) aimed at measuring the effectiveness of SIPs in their area of activity.

  On Inverclyde specifically, the last annual report was due on 30 June 2001 and was received by the Executive shortly after this deadline. This report was used to appraise Inverclyde SIP’s performance in 2000-01. As with all SIPs, Inverclyde are due to submit their next annual report on 30 June 2002.

  As well as the annual report Communities Scotland officials do maintain contact with SIPs throughout the year, attend board meetings, visit SIP projects, and meet with both the SIP support team and community representatives associated with the SIP.

Scottish Executive Announcements

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive why its announcement on the Judicial Appointments Board on 12 June 2002 has been placed in the news archive section of its website for 31 May 2002.

Mr Jim Wallace: The press release announcing the appointment of the new Judicial Appointments Board was not issued until Wednesday 12 June following a transmission error on May 30. The news release was placed in the news archive on the Scottish Executive website dated May 31 as this was the date the news release had been intended for release. This was made clear in the news release which issued on June 12.

Scottish Executive Announcements

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive why a press release advising of the transmission error that occurred on 31 May 2002 in relation to the Judicial Appointments Board was not issued until the afternoon of 12 June 2002.

Mr Jim Wallace: A press release announcing the appointment of the new Judicial Appointments Board was issued on 12 June. This advised the media of a transmission error which had occurred on May 30 which was intended to automatically defer release to May 31. The error was not noted until a call from a journalist alerted the press office to the error. Steps were immediately taken to rectify the situation by issuing the news release with an explanation of the delay. The transmission error is being investigated to ensure any technical problems are not repeated.

Scottish Executive Announcements

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many news releases were in the archive section of its website on 31 May 2002; whether any of these were removed; if so, which ones and whether these were removed or amended to allow for the entry of the announcement on the Judicial Appointments Board made on 12 June 2002, and whether an announcement on Scotsheep 2002 was removed from the archives section of the website for 31 May 2002.

Mr Andy Kerr: There were three items in the archive section of the news website on 31 May 2002. The announcement on Scotsheep 2002 was one of them but was accidentally over-written by another item - £2 million boost for pig industry - which was posted the same day. When this error was discovered at a later date the Scotsheep 2002 item was deleted. It has now been restored.

  The item on the Judicial Appointments Board was meant to be posted on 31 May but a transmission error meant it was never received for posting on the website. When this omission was noted the release was issued on June 12, a note explained it should have been made public on May 31. The news website then placed the item under the original date, May 31. The presence of the Judicial Appointments Board release in the archive has no bearing on what happened to the Scotsheep item.

Social Work

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to its news release SEed005/2002 of 18 April 2002, what the remit is of the Joint Ministerial Meetings on social work and social services and who will attend the meetings.

Cathy Jamieson: The remit of the Joint Ministerial Meetings on social work and social services is to ensure good co-ordination of social work and social care policy issues across the Executive.

  The meeting will be chaired by the Minister for Education and Young People. The Deputy Ministers for Health and Community Care, Justice and Education and Young People will attend, along with senior Scottish Executive officials.

Teachers

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will decide on the suitability for employment as teachers in Scotland of those who hold the English Quality Teacher Status qualification.

Nicol Stephen: All teachers who have not trained in Scotland who wish to teach here must seek admission to the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) register of persons entitled to teach in Scotland.

  I have asked Matthew MacIver, Chief Executive of the GTCS to respond. His response is as follows:

  Those teachers who hold Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) with a teaching qualification from England recognised by the GTCS as fulfilling the council's requirements with regards to academic qualifications, professional training and relevant experience should have no difficulty in gaining registration to teach in Scotland. Those who hold QTS with a teaching qualification from England that the GTCS does not consider meets the standards required to teach in Scotland, such as some employment based routes, will be advised by the GTCS as to what course of action is required for registration to teach in Scotland.

  I also refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-23862 today.

Teachers

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has given to education authorities with regard to applications for teaching posts by those who hold the English Quality Teacher Status qualification.

Nicol Stephen: Education authorities must check that all teachers employed in publicly funded schools in Scotland are registered with the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS). Qualified Teacher Status does not give automatic acceptance to the GTCS register of those entitled to teach in Scotland. To gain entry to the register a teacher must satisfy the GTCS of their academic and professional fitness to teach.

Teachers

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the General Teaching Council for Scotland with regard to recognition of the English Quality Teacher Status qualification.

Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive Education Department has been instrumental in the establishment of a sub group of the General Teaching Council 5 Nations Group, which brings together the General Teaching Councils in Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland, to review mutual recognition of teaching entry requirements, as well as exploring other cross border registration issues.

Teachers

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many and what percentage of the total number of primary school teachers employed in each of the past 10 years were (a) male and (b) female.

Nicol Stephen: The available information on the number and percentage of the total number of full-time equivalent (FTE) primary school teachers employed in each of the years from 1992 to 2000 who were (a) male and (b) female is given in the following table:

  Teachers (FTE) in Publicly Funded Schools By Gender

  


Year 
  

Total 
  

Male 
  

Female 
  

Percentage Male 
  

Percentage Female 
  



19921


22,709 
  

1,774 
  

20,935 
  

8% 
  

92% 
  



1993 
  

22,472 
  

N/A 
  

N/A 
  

N/A 
  

N/A 
  



1994 
  

22,196 
  

1,704 
  

20,492 
  

8% 
  

92% 
  



1995 
  

22,550 
  

N/A 
  

N/A 
  

N/A 
  

N/A 
  



1996 
  

22,483 
  

2,078 
  

20,405 
  

9% 
  

91% 
  



1997 
  

22,187 
  

1,926 
  

20,261 
  

9% 
  

91% 
  



1998 
  

22,508 
  

1,604 
  

20,904 
  

7% 
  

93% 
  



1999 
  

22,643 
  

1,553 
  

21,090 
  

7% 
  

93% 
  



2000 
  

22,429 
  

1,565 
  

20,864 
  

7% 
  

93% 
  



  Note:

  1. Includes occasional teachers.

  Data for 2001 is not yet available. Prior to 1996, the source of data on numbers of male and female FTE teachers is the periodic teacher census which ran in 1992 and 1994, hence there is no information on gender split available for years 1993 and 1995.

Transport (Scotland) Act 2001

Kate Maclean (Dundee West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to lay a report on grants made under section 70 of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2001 during the financial year 2001-02.

Lewis Macdonald: Grants totalling £25,967,646 were paid out during financial year 2001-02. A report detailing the grants made has today been placed in the Parliament's Information Centre (Bib. number 22114).

Victim Support

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has budgeted for any increase in compensation payments to victims of crime as a result of the increased referrals to Victim Support Scotland since 1 April 2002.

Mr Jim Wallace: We are not aware of any significant increase in applications for compensation payments as a result of an increase in referrals to Victim Support Scotland. The overall budget for the demand-led Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme is set by the Home office and the Scottish Executive. The Executive’s contribution is calculated through a Service Level Agreement that reflects the amount of compensation paid to those living in Scotland.